Norm Spellman
Norm Spellman is a main character in Avatar and a human anthropologist as well as an avatar driver. Biography Early life Norm was born and raised on Earth and trained as a scientist. Aside from this, nothing is known of his life before he joined the Avatar Program. Before his first assignment on Pandora, he claimed to have studied the Na'vi language for 5 years, and had logged 520 hours of simulation time in preparation for linking with his avatar. Arriving on Pandora .]]Norm, being a friend of the late Tom Sully, immediately introduced himself to Jake Sully, Tom's brother. Though they later became close friends, Norm originally was somewhat envious of Jake, who after becoming lost in the forest, was adopted by the Omaticaya clan of the Na'vi. Enjoying the contact this tutelage brought with the clan, Norm put aside his jealousy and acted as Jake's tutor (along with Dr. Grace Augustine and Neytiri), in the Na'vi culture. Destruction of the Hometree Norm watched the scene from the main link center in Hell's Gate. When Parker Selfridge ordered the cutting of Jake and Grace's psionic links, he tried in vain to stop security from doing so, only to get himself imprisoned along with Jake and Grace in the station brig where they were rescued by Trudy Chacon and Max Patel. The team flew to the Hallelujah Mountains to pick up one of the two link unit containers. In his avatar form, Norm helped tie the container to Trudy's Samson 16 and was supervising the transport to the Tree of Souls from on top of the structure while Jake and Grace were inside. Assault on the Tree of Souls In the battle for Pandora, Norm fought alongside Jake and the Na'vi against the RDA. Whilst Jake led the air assault, Norm rode alongside the Na'vi cavalry, even killing a few RDA troops. As the unarmored Na'vi were cut down by the RDA troops, his avatar was shot in the left shoulder, causing the neural link to be severed. Back in his undamaged human body, suffering from shock but determined to help, he recovered enough to arm himself with a rifle and don an exopack to rejoin the fray. When the RDA was driven from Pandora, he was one of the few humans allowed to stay. Personality and traits As a scientist, Norm was fascinated by Pandora and its environment. He was friendly and easily got along with most people. He used to be an old friend of Jake Sully's dead brother Tom, and after Tom's death, he befriended Jake too. However, due to Jake's ignorance about Pandora and its inhabitants, Norm sometimes thought of him as a "Skxawng" (moron). Norm was initially envious of Jake after the latter's acceptance into the Omaticaya clan, but when he helped Jake learn the Na'vi way of life, their friendship solidified and he got over his envy. When they first arrived on Pandora, Norm possessed a considerably greater knowledge of the moon and its inhabitants than Jake. Having been through avatar training for five years, he was skilled at speaking the Na'vi language, although his use of the language was rather formal. He was also incredulous when Jake said that he didn't know who Eywa was. Though Norm usually has a friendly and non-threatening personality, he did attempt - unsuccessfully - to violently stop a soldier who tried to bring Jake and Grace out of link after the destruction of the Hometree. Later, he fought against the RDA along with Jake and the Na'vi, and even though his avatar was shot down, he was determined to keep fighting in his human form. Abilities Though he was not a warrior, Norm was still capable of violence if the situation demanded it. He weilded a rifle during the battle of the Tree of Souls; however due to the confusion of the battle it is unknown exactly how skilled he was at using it. Norm was also skilled at riding a direhorse even in the middle of combat. Relationships Jake Sully When Norm first met Jake Sully, he noted that he looked just like his brother, Tom, whom Norm had known during his training for the Avatar Program. He and Jake became fast friends but Norm grew jealous after Jake was allowed into the Omaticaya's Hometree. He was incredulous when Jake asked who Eywa was and said that he would know who she was if he had any training. However as time went on, Norm got over his initial jealousy and taught Jake more about the Na'vi culture, most notably the true meaning of "I See you". Norm tried to stop Colonel Quaritch from bringing Jake out of his avatar link. At a later date, he even punched an RDA soldier when attempting to do the same thing again on Parker Selfridge's orders. After the destruction of Hometree, he was locked up along with Jake and Grace Augustine. After they escaped from Hell's Gate, Norm, despite feeling that they stood no chance against the RDA, fought among the Na'vi under Jake's command. Trudy Chacon Norm appeared to share a mutual liking with Trudy, and talked to her quite regularly during their flights, often joking. Prior to the assault on the Tree of Souls, they both seemed to share the same opinion that they were outmatched by the RDA forces, but remained loyal to Jake and the Na'vi. Grace Augustine Norm idolised Grace Augustine and referred to her as a legend at one point. Grace greeted Norm more warmly than Jake, saying she had heard good things about him and they had a brief conversation in Na'vi. Norm was saddened when Grace died. Trivia *In the original script, Norm was romantically linked to Trudy Chacon. While nothing suggests this in the final film, some deleted scenes in the Extended Collector's Edition do reveal that at least some of these scenes were filmed; including the two having sex up in the Hallelujah Mountains. *He was originally named Norm Cheeseman in Project 880. *Norm's avatar wore a hat that has "Number 1969" (Year of the Moonlanding) written on it in Braille. This was only seen on his avatar's first outing, excluding his first link. *In a deleted scene, after Norm is shot in the shoulder during the final battle, Lyle Wainfleet appears in an AMP suit and kills his avatar with a few shots to its chest. Memorable Quotes "Hey, you're Jake, right? Tom's brother? Wow, you look just like him. Sorry, I'm Norm Spellman, I went through avatar training with him." :- Norm introducing himself to Jake Sully. Jake: "Looks like him." Norm: "No, looks like you. This is your avatar now, Jake" :-Norm telling Jake about his avatar body. "Who's Eywa? Only their deity! Their goddess, made up of all living things. Everything they know! You'd know this if you had any training whatsoever." :- Norm explaining Eywa to Jake. "You can't interrupt a link in progress! It's very dangerous!" :- Norm yelling at Quaritch when he ransacks Site 26 and forces Jake and Grace out of their avatars. "Jake, you copy? We're falling back! We're getting hammered!" :- Norm to Jake during the assault on the Tree of Souls. de:Norm Spellman nl:Norm Spellman pl:Norm Spellman Category:Avatar Category:Characters Category:Human Category:Avatars Category:Avatar Program Category:Featured Articles